Ancient Greek city states
Sybaris
Sybaris is an ancient Greek city located on the river Crati, near the modern village of Sibari in Calabria.
The city of Sybaris was founded by the Achaeans in 720 BC and began to prosper thanks to the very fertile soil here. The main trade goods were wine, olives, cattle and, last but not least, fishing. In the 6th century BC, Sybaris was one of the richest Greek states. As a result, it could afford to establish its own colonies in the Tyrrhenian Sea (Skidros and Paestum).
Sybaris' greatest enemy was the city of Croton. Their mutual disputes resulted in the destruction of Sybaris in 510 BC. At that time, Croton took advantage of the internal strife of Sybaris when an attempt was made to overthrow the ruling class of aristocrats. Croton destroyed the city, burned it, and either killed or enslaved its inhabitants. Finally, they changed the course of the river to flood the ruins of the city.
Later, there were attempts to rebuild the city, but despite the threat of Croton, these attempts were abandoned in 444 BC and the cities of Thuria and Sybaris of Triontium were created instead.